Functional connexin35 increased in the myopic chicken retina

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Previous studies linked connexin 36 (Cx36) phosphorylation to AII amacrine cell coupling in mouse myopia.
• Chicken retinas are cone-dominant, offering a model to study myopia in different retinal compositions.
• Lens-induced myopia (LIM) is a common experimental model for myopia research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if serine 276 phosphorylation of Cx35 increases in the cone-dominant chicken retina during myopia.
• To examine Cx35 expression patterns and phosphorylation status in early and compensated stages of LIM.
• To determine the role of Cx35 phosphorylation in myopia development in chickens.

Main Methods:

• Myopia was induced in 7-day-old chickens using a -10D lens for 12 hours and 7 days.
• Refractive errors and axial lengths were measured.
• Cx35 plaque expression, size, and Serine 276 phosphorylation (Ser276-P) were analyzed using immunohistochemistry.

Main Results:

• LIM eyes showed significantly increased axial length after 7 days.
• Ser276-P labeled Cx35 plaques were significantly elevated in LIM retinas at both 12 hours and 7 days.
• The density of Ser276-P of Cx35 increased after 12 hours of LIM, while plaque size remained unchanged.

Conclusions:

• Phosphorylation of connexin35 at Serine 276 is increased in both early and late stages of lens-induced myopia in chickens.
• Elevated Cx35 phosphorylation suggests increased AII amacrine cell coupling may contribute to myopia development in cone-dominant retinas.
• Cx35 phosphorylation is a potential mechanism involved in the progression of myopia in avian models.